Weakness of Fruition
by Aelsthla-Mental
Summary: Naruto has come down with a strange illness. His only chance is Kabuto, last seen infected by Orochimaru's remains. Can he and his group find Kabuto and survive the hunters?
1. Prologue

He was stable. His breath was coming in steadily; his body was even now repairing itself, assisted by the chakra-infused hands of the bedside medic whose glasses glinted in the candle-lit room.

His patient had been saved, but if anything the medic looked displeased. He quickly jotted down some notes using his other hand on the notebook he had on the bedside table, a nasty looking cheap thing with flimsy splintering wooden legs that could collapse at any moment.

'How is the experiment going, Kabuto?'

Visits from Orochimaru checking on Kabuto's progress were neither common nor rare. So Kabuto prized them, but didn't go out of his way to make the visits extraordinary. No, Orochimaru saw exactly how Kabuto always was. There was no need for a mask in the presence of his master.

Well, he was close enough like his true self anyway. If it could be called that. Honestly Kabuto was so used to acting he didn't know how he really was anymore. He was what he needed to be, as he would think to himself.

'To sum it up, a failure.' Kabuto sighed, turning to his master who simply stared back.

'And the details?'

Interesting, Orochimaru wasn't often interested in the finer details unless it was an experiment to assist him directly. Probably needed to feel more in control after some trouble involving Sasuke. The boy was a strain on Orochimaru, in any other scenario Orochimaru would have killed the boy for his disregard for even the simplest of orders, but it all came down to the Sharingan. A way to accelerate Orochimaru's plan to learn each and every jutsu.

Orochimaru wasn't impatient, far from it. But he did take risks. Kabuto thought this risk wasn't worth taking. He had voiced his appearance, but Orochimaru had merely laughed. He was the one teaching Sasuke, after all, so he would know if the boy was really that dangerous to him.

'The first batch of test subjects were infected and allowed to escape the compound into the forest. I kept an eye on them to check how the infection progressed. All but one of them died within two to three days of first showing symptoms. The last one somehow started recovering during day eight and I was forced to eliminate him.'

'All but one… That sounds like a good result.' Orochimaru looked at the body in front of Kabuto, the steady breathing echoeing in the cavern. 'I take it this is one of the problems?'

'Indeed.' Kabuto's glasses glinted in the candlelight. 'When given proper medical attention, only one of the subjects I infected died. And that was still a week after symptoms. The others are all showing signs of recovery. This one just became stable.'

'So, not the most useful then… Pity, it's easy to transmit, and you've already infected plenty of people over the years. I'm surprised you didn't test its effectiveness earlier.'

'Indeed, Lord Orochimaru. I'll still be checking to see if there are any residue effects apparent, but I'll be moving on to my next experiment shortly.'

That is what Kabuto does, really. He always manages to keep busy. Be it an experiment or infiltration, his mind was always abuzz. Even when he was asleep, Orochimaru could hear the man occasionally muttering of what he was going to do the next day, planning it in his head most likely in the form of a lucid dream.

Orochimaru was a little more laid-back. Relaxing to see the results of his plans. Enjoying the sight of his opponents when they realize that they had fallen for it.

'Well, how about you tell me about your next experiment, Kabuto?'

Kabuto's eyes scanned his patient before turning back to the notebook to jot down a few more notes. 'Certainly, my next experiments are going to use the information we stole from Hiruko…'

Orochimaru moved off further into the cage, Kabuto followed him at a brisk pace. The body simply laid there, the steady breathing the only sound that could be heard.

* * *

Years later, there was no sign this had ever happened. Orochimaru was dead, and Kabuto had vanished with little traces to be found. Their base of operation had simply been left there.

At least it was at first going to simply be left alone. The place emanated with chakra and killing intent, despite the lack of a living presence. However, there were in fact two ninjas outside the cave, figuring out a safe way to enter.

The man in front stood perfectly still, his expression under the black mask that covered the top half of his face was one of concentration.

Concentration that was slightly lacking in the two ninjas behind him.

'Oi, would you hurry it up Torune!'

'Patience, we need to wait for Nairu, after all.'

The figure behind Torune rolled his hazel eyes. 'Look. This is a simple mission. We enter, avoid any of the traps that are supposedly in this derelict base, find what's in there, and get out. We shouldn't waste time.'

'Orochimaru was a dangerous and capable shinobi.' Torune scanned the cave entrance, trying to locate the sources of chakra. 'He could have put any number of traps in there. Nairu's an expert at this sort of thing.'

The figure let out an exaggerated sigh. He too wore a mask, except it was a standard white ANBU mask, in this case a monkey mask. 'I don't even know why I was brought along. I'm Rodaiken, a master interrogator and explosive expert, not an excavator.

'In case we find anyone in here, we may need your expertise.'

'Well, I sure hope it comes to that.' He began to tap his foot impatiently.

'We'll see soon enough.' A new voice entered the conversation,

'Bout time you got here, Nairu.' Rodaiken turned over him. Nairu wore an owl mask, and his body betrayed no emotion. Indeed, there was nothing about him that showed any personality whatsoever. The equipment was all standard, there was nothing unique in his appearance. Although perhaps that was something unique in itself. 'What took ya?'

'Some interlopers were within the designated area, they were dispatched and their bodies concealed.' There was no movement to accompany these words, he remained still.

'Let me guess, they were half a meter in?' Rodaiken kicked the earth in frustration. 'Dammit Nairu, you don't follow the orders to the letter! You know that it's going to cause more problems then it solves.'

'Problems come when people lower in the chain of command choose to disobey orders.' Now Nairu moved, walking up to the entrance of the cave.

'Believe what you want, I guess.' Rodaiken sighed. He walked over to Nairu's side, staring at the cave.

'What do you detect?' Torune joined them.

'Large concentrations of chakra, most of them intermingle so it's hard to find origins. Quite a few could easily be traps... couple of others are clearly contained in their source, so most likely some sort of object infused with chakra for some purpose.'

'Well, do we walk or run in?' Rodaiken asked casually, taking a step forward.

'Walk.'

Rodaiken put his hand to his mask. 'Well, damn.' If they had to walk in carefully, Nairu had to be pretty uneasy on if they were going to be able to avoid the traps. More often they would simply dash in; Nairu would order their movements to keep them out of harm's way.

'Well then, after you.' Rodaiken bowed mockingly.

'You're an insult to our group. It is irritating that you still remain this way.' Nairu said this rapidly before starting to move into the cave. Rodaiken merely grinned. Making him say something like that was a small victory. He followed Nairu casually, Torune followed suit.

Scarcely a few meters in Nairu began to slow to a crawl, carefully moving through the dangerous territory. Occasionally performing a leap which his team was quick to replicate. Still, progress was slow.

Ten centimeters.

All hell broke loose because Rodaiken's left foot was ten centimeters off where Nairu had deemed safe, triggering a chakra movement in the cave. Concealed mechanisms roared, the noise echoed throughout the cave.

All of a sudden, kunai filled the air. In a blur of motion each member of the team attempted to avoid them. It was a dance where just one wrong move could wind them up killed They mostly succeeded, a few scrapes from near misses, but it was a job well done. Rodaiken had one in his arm, but it would be easily recoverable, Torune figured.

And then, in the brief moment of calm as each kunai had hit the wall, everyone noticed.

Rodaiken's look of horror, the sharp intake of breath from Torune, The slight rising of Nairu's eyelids.

Each and every kunai had an explosive tag.

Torune ran back towards the entrance, Nairu ran further into the cave, Rodaiken didn't move at all. Either he was shocked, or knew from the explosive kunai in his arm that he was doomed.

An explosion tore through the cave; debris filled the air and crashed into the ground with resounding force.

Torune didn't know how he survived in those few seconds of hearing noise which reverberated through his skull and gave him no hint to what was happening. Those few seconds which all he could see is dust that found it's way through his mask into his eyes, making them water. The few seconds where all he could taste was blood, how it had got in his mouth he didn't know.

But he had survived, and he quickly decided to cautiously head back to see if either of his team had survived.

What he found was a mound of rubble blocking the way, and chunks of Rodaiken's flesh that littered the area. Well, he doubted that man had survived. But what about Nairu?

There was no way in, and Torune didn't know any jutsu that would help make a way through. He didn't have the ordinary insects of the Aburame clan, instead he had poisonous nano-sized insects. While deadly, they were nowhere near as adaptable for different situations. Quite irritating, Torune thought.

Well, he would give the standard fifteen minutes to see if there was any sign of a survivor. After that, he would call in some reinforcements to try and sift the wreckage.

He crouched stock still, attempting to conceal himself. If someone had heard that massive din, they could investigate. Preferably they wouldn't notice him, but he was ready…

He was like this for at least twelve minutes. Finally, there was a hissing noise as some of the rubble dissolved, just enough for Nairu to crawl out of, although it appeared he had to discard the blade he had on his back before.

'You took your time.' Torune moved to a standing position. 'I assume you further investigated the cave?'

'It is our objective.' Nairu replied bluntly. 'I noted down what was there, took some samples, and shall deliver it to our superior.'

He meant Danzo, but of course they couldn't say his name. The cursed seal on their tongue saw to that.

'And Rodaiken?'

'Dead, I assume.' He was already moving, dashing through the trees. Sighing, Torune followed. Mission success, with only one casualty.

And yet…

Nairu was good at concealing information, he was a sociopath after all. And yet Torune still had the feeling that Nairu was lying, or at least not telling the whole truth.

Really, he should go back and check the cave himself - but what if there were more traps?

No, he would act normally now. Perhaps talk to Danzo about his behavior later, perhaps it was simply confidential and things he shouldn't know anyway.

Perhaps, perhaps. So many possibilities, and Torune didn't like it.

* * *

_**Welcome to the beginning of the fanfic Weakness of Fruition!**_

_**Any questions or random comments about this story are happily taken. Constructive Criticism appreciated. Have a nice day!**_


	2. Symptoms

'Shikamaru, behind you!' Even with his back turned Neji knew where the opposition was, his Byakugan saw to that.

Exactly as Shikamaru planned.

'Shadow Possession Jutsu.' Shikamaru grimaced as he felt cold steel brushing on his neck. A second later, and he would have been too late.

But he could hear the surprised grunt of the opponent behind him, it had worked. The man was trapped. 'Neji, if you please. I am running a bit low on chakra…' No sooner did he say that then he heard the strike, an impact that was more like one of Lee's punches then the gentle fist the Hyuuga were known for.

Shikamaru released the jutsu and the body crumpled to the ground. Unconscious, if Neji had done the job right. They needed him for questioning. Unfortunately the way in which the man had collapsed left a scar on the back of his neck, if the feeling of blood trickling down was anything to go by. _'Perhaps it can be a reminder to be more careful.'_

'Where is Naruto?'

Neji concentrated for a moment. 'two hundred meters northwest, fighting the other rogue ninja.'

They were both moving before he had finished the sentence, from tree to tree they jumped towards their target.

'How is he fairing?'

'Something is odd about both of their chakra.'

Shikamaru frowned, this mission was suppose to have been simple. Him, Neji, and Naruto were to capture two B-rank rogue ninja who had been sighted in this area. They had the element of surprise, and one extra person.

Of course, things went wrong. Naruto's growling stomach had eliminated the element of surprise. One of the rogue ninja proceeded to crash-tackle him, defying his lean physique. When Shikamaru and Neji moved in to help, the second ninja barred their way. He was a bulky ninja, and he wielded a whip which he manipulated with wind ninjutsu. Amazing agile, the man had danced circle around them striking with his whip until Neji managed to tear it out of his grasp. Undeterred, the man started using kunai until Shikamaru had finally tricked him into his shadow.

Meanwhile, Naruto and the other rogue ninja had managed to end up a fair distance away. Probably the opponent was an earth specialist, Shikamaru guessed, remembering the surprising strength displayed previously. A solid punch he imagined could have sent Naruto flying, and being persistent, Naruto would have survived.

But no more time for thinking, there was Naruto. He had used his shadow clones and a large group were striking the rogue ninja with all their might.

But they seemed to be having little effect; the man didn't even stumble from the impact, simply retaliating and eliminating a clone with every strike.

But he couldn't see Naruto outside the pack attacking him, even now preparing a Rasengen.

Looks like they may not have to intervene after all. Shikamaru raised his hand and slowed down to a halt. 'May as well watch, Neji.'

Neji quickly stopped next to him, his Byakugan deactivated.

The earth user had taken out most of the clones, and Naruto charged forward, Rasengen at ready. He saw it coming too-

Not too late, apparently. Just as Naruto thrust his palm forward, a wall of earth rose up. The Rasengen hit the wall of earth, dissipating but not before tearing the wall into shrapnel

Naruto tried to shield himself with his other arm, but the earth user ignored it, bringing his arm forward and grabbing Naruto's neck.

'_Damn it…'_ Shikamaru was already moving; unfortunately the earth user turned towards them and smirked. 'I wouldn't move, unless you want me to snap this guy's neck.' He shouted, lifting up Naruto to illustrate his point. 'It would be a pain to lose the Jinchuriki, but I assure you I value my life higher!' One of the man's eyes was bleeding from a piece of shrapnel lodged into it. The man didn't react, he kept the grip and his good eye on the opposition.

'_He knows what Naruto is? This is bad.' _Shikamaru made no movement to betray his surprise, nor did Neji.

It had become a standoff.

'So, what do you plan to do?' Shikamaru asked casually. He eyed Naruto trying to get free, or at least lessen the pressure around his neck. There seemed to be no progress there, the earth user didn't even glance in his direction. It was up to them. 'I don't think you'll be getting far taking Naruto with you.'

The man didn't stop smirking. 'Please, I'm going to go somewhere, and if I even think I'm being followed, I snap his neck. Simple as that.

'You really think you can handle a Jinchuriki on your own?' Shikamaru shrugged.

Neji glanced over to him. Shikamaru knew why, he had to be careful, he couldn't let Naruto die.

But honestly, he doubted the man would kill him, he just wasn't willing to call the bluff.

'I'll be fine. Now, start backing off!' the man commanded, perspiring.

Hang on, the man was sweating? He seemed so confident. Perhaps the words had gotten to him?

Shikamaru and Neji took a step back.

'Further!' He commanded. 'Or… I'll…'

His voiced slowed down; the sweat ran down his face, his legs wobbled before giving way. He fell to the ground, taking Naruto with him.

Shikamaru ran forward, quickly bending down to investigate.

The man was breathing heavily, but seemed to be unconscious.

What had happened? The idea that Naruto had something to do with it was dismissed quickly, there was not a single technique Naruto knew which would cause this.

'This is bad…' Shikamaru turned to see what Neji was talking about. He had one of his hands over Naruto's forehead. 'Running a temperature, but he was fine just before…'

'You think he's sick?'

'Definitely, probably not a regular illness though…' He picked up Naruto and slung him across his back. 'We're going to have to get him back to Konoha.'

Shikamaru nodded, before slinging Naruto's opponent across his back. Noticing Neji's hesitation he said 'We have to bring at least one of them back, Neji. Perhaps he knows what's going on.'

Nodding, Neji started running. Shikamaru followed suit.


	3. Spread

'We need to see Tsunade, immediately.'

The Hokage's office was usually unguarded. There were a few reasons for this. The main one being that the city itself was guarded and anyone who got in had to be trusted. Another reason was that every Hokage had abilities that meant they could always handle the odd assassination attempt.

So when Neji and Shikamaru got to the Hokage's building, they were surprised to see a couple of ANBU and Shizune standing outside the front door.

'What's wrong with Naruto?' Shizune shouted and started towards them, but hesitated and stopped, wrinkling her nose at the smell of vomit. The three of them stank of it, and she could see patches of it on all their clothes as well.

Something was wrong here; both Shikamaru and Neji figured that out quickly enough. She was hesitating to move forward before her nose wrinkled, meaning there was another reason she wasn't too glad to see them.

'He's sick, and I'm not sure how long he'll last, we need Tsunade to help him!'

Shizune bit her lips, obviously conflicted. 'I-I'm afraid the Hokage is busy at the moment, but I can get someone else…'

'What's going on here!' Shikamaru raised his voice a she said this, about the closest he usually gets to shouting. 'I know something is up Shizune.'

'We've been having some problems yes, I'm sure you understand that…'

'Look, Naruto has been passing out, throwing up, has a high temperature, can't think coherently, or cast a simple jutsu. And he hasn't gotten better despite the medics we took him to on the way here. We need to see Tsunade now, I understand she must be very busy, but this is important.

Shizune's had widened in shock as Shikamaru mentioned the symptoms. She sighed. 'I'm afraid it will do no good.'

'What do you mean?' It was Neji this time, his voice remained even.

'Tsunade's sick too, with those exact symptoms.'

* * *

'What's going on…'

Even in his mind, Naruto felt weak. He lay there, sprawled in front of the cage.

'What's going on, brat!' He could feel the vibrations that showed how powerful the voice was, and yet it seemed so distant.

'…I was hoping you'd know demon fox.' Naruto's attempt to chuckle turned into a cough.

'You think I have something to do with this!' The Kyuubi thundered. 'If you die, I die. I've been using what little power that can seep through the seal to try and keep you alive! I know you're too much of a fool to give me more freedom to save your pathetic hide.'

'You… got that… right.' Naruto forced himself up, to look at the demon in the face, looking for a sign that the demon may be lying.

But all he saw was the same fury, the same undying hatred that he had gotten use to. The fury wasn't even directed at him, he had slowly learned, but pretty much everything.

The demon hated almost all of existence, and nothing Naruto could say would change that.

The only thing they shared in common was their will to survive, and yet, that seemed to be enough.

'Well, I best be getting up now..' He murmured. 'I don't think my body is going to heal itself…'

'You can be sure of that, brat!' The dreamscape began to lose focus, but the last words of the Kyuubi remained echoing in his head. 'I can't keep you alive forever!'

* * *

_Life before had never been quite so boring. There had always been something to keep Kabuto's mind busy, be it a mission or an interesting experiment. But right now, he was waiting._

_He would be waiting a long time too, for this particular experiment. Normally he didn't mind waiting. But right now every second was torture, feelings of uncertainty that he hadn't felt for a long time were creeping into his mind, at one point he had woken himself from his stupor to find his foot tapping!_

_Not that there weren't reasons for this. It was becoming more and more difficult to obtain supplies. The experimentation he and Orochimaru were doing was attracting unwanted attention, people who wanted it for themselves mostly._

_And it seemed to be taking it's toll on Orochimaru as well. He barely heard from him, and the few times he spoke it was always business._

_It was kind of funny really. He had always thought their casual conversation pointless beforehand. And yet now that it was gone, he missed them. Now Orochimaru merely asked how the project was going, and occasionally giving advice. It was so mechanical now, and when Kabuto asked if anything was the matter, he received a nasty retort._

_For Orochimaru's sake, Kabuto hoped his experiment would prove effective. It could eradicate these pests. Perhaps after that, the uncertainty would disappear._


	4. Encroaching Horror

Tsunade was awake when they entered the room, along with several medical ninja who were performing various tasks such as medical jutsu, writing down notes, and just keeping an eye on her.

It was easy to see why. Tsunade was deathly pale, lines of tiredness covered her face and she was shaking.

All-in-all, she was a total mess.

'…I thought I told you to keep everyone out until I recovered, Shizune. She lifted her head to see who was there, only to collapse back on the plain white and blue bed with a groan.

'Naruto is showing the same symptoms you have.' Shizune replied hurriedly.

Tsunade frowned, her eyes narrowed in thought. 'Odd, who would want to poison Naruto as well as me?'

'It's a poison?' Shikamaru spoke up, curious.

'Well, whatever it is, it's nothing I've seen before.' Tsunade murmured. 'Thankfully, it isn't contagious from what we've seen. Nobody else has displayed the symptoms, even people I came in contact with.'

'Indeed, we don't want an epidemic on our hands.' Shikamaru nodded his head. 'so you think it's a poison then, but if it is what do you and Naruto have in common, and where does this mystery poison come from. Not to mention how was it administered. Any idea how long it takes to start affecting you?'

'No… it could have been administered at any time as far as I know.' Tsunade's voice trailed off. 'Sorry I can't be of more help, I've been trying to recover myself, but whatever it is, it's resilient. Any healings gives only a temporary effect. The damage it deals is rather random too. It attacks pretty much any part of the body at random, which makes it odd that Naruto started with similar symptoms.' She gave a raspy cough. 'Perhaps there is a method behind the poison, disease, whatever it is, perhaps it's just a coincidence.'

'Do you have any idea what to do then, Hokage?' Shikamaru looked to her. 'we'll do whatever we can to get you two better again.'

'I-I'm afraid you're just going to have to trust me and the other medics.' She gave a weak chuckle. 'It'll be fine. Shizune, escort them out and Naruto to the hospital.

Shikamaru looked ready to argue, but found himself dragged out by Shizune.

But as soon as they were out of earshot, Shizune began to talk to them. 'I'm afraid it isn't looking good, if they could find something they would have by now. Honestly I'm not sure how much longer Tsunade, or Naruto for that matter can last if their state keeps getting worse.'

'There must be something we can do! Search the village for the poisoner perhaps.' Shikamaru trailed off, his mind already abuzz with ideas. There was no way he would let a member of his team die.

Shizune hesitated, Shikamaru quickly noticed and pressed on it 'You know something Shizune? Please tell me.'

'Well, Tsunade would hate this, but there is one possibility…'

'Yeah? What is it?'

'There is one medic who might be better then even Tsunade, who might be able to cure her…' She seemed hesitant to continue. '…Kabuto Yakushi.'

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. 'That spy who worked for Orochimaru?'

'He is also an amazingly proficient medic with some unique abilities. If anyone knows how to cure this, odds are he does.'

'If he does, he might also be the one who poisoned them, or at least gave the poison to someone who did.'

'It's possible, yes.' She bit her lips. 'Look, Tsunade wouldn't allow a search party, other then the one we already have. But honestly I think we need more people on the search, we need to find him as fast as possible! So… unofficially, would you take a team to go help find him and extract a cure, or something along those lines, off him?'

'Of course!' Shikamaru was surprised she even bothered asking. 'How many people can I bring?'

'Well, currently we have available you of course, along with Lee, Tenten, Hinata, and Chouji. Trust me, Kabuto is dangerous, you need everyone you can bring. Unfortunately Neji, you're due for a mission with Kiba and Ino, and the more time before anyone knows you're all missing, the better.

'Bring… me… too…'

Neji had been silent the entire time, and now Naruto, currently slung in a fireman's carry, was speaking up.

'Naruto, you're too sick to join them, you would just slow them down.' Shizune said firmly. 'You need to rest and try to get cured.'

'No… we might need him.' Seeing Shizune's expression Shikamaru quickly continued. 'Look, Kabuto might give us the slip, but if we can at least get a hold of a cure or something, we can test it on Naruto first.'

This didn't exactly relieve Shizune, and Shikamaru wasn't particularly fond of dragging Naruto along to be used as a guinea big either. But they had little choice. They would be careful, but it was the best they could do. Besides, it could be for the better. Naruto might get the cure earlier, which could be vital. Of course, that made it feel wrong to leave Tsunade here… But really, either way presented problems. Shikamaru deemed the risk worth it for Naruto, the tailed beast within him wouldn't want him to die, after all.

It was, Shikamaru thought bitterly, such thoughts that had gotten him promoted so quickly. He didn't enjoy it. But make no mistake, he would do anything in his power to make sure Naruto lived.

'Anyway, I better round up the team…'

Nobody could come into the Hidden Leaf Village without Danzo knowing about it.

He had the place wired inside and out, Root members gathering information on the current happenings, watchers seeing who came in and out of the village. He may not be the Hokage, but he knew more about the village then she ever would.

And now, he heard that a sickly Jinchuriki had returned to the village, and then left with a large escort.

Without a second thought he had ordered the boy to be watched at all times in the village. This could be the time, he thought to himself, the chance to fit a collar on the monster.

Of course, he had to be careful. Odds are others would be watching him too.

Yes… with the Hokage and the Jinchuriki sick, now was the time to act, most likely not just him. He could become Hokage and have a powerful weapon at his disposal in one fell swoop.

Of course, first he had to make sure the general public knew the Hokage was sick. Not the Jinchuriki though, other villages may see the weakness of their greatest weapon as an excuse to invade.

Danzo beckoned with his good arm. Immediately a Root member was next to him. 'I want you to start a rumour among the population that the Hokage is sick and wasting away. Make sure it can't be traced back to us.'

And with that, the member vanished.

Now for the matter of the Jinchuriki. He beckoned with his good arm again, another Root member stood before him. 'Get Strin, Nairu, and Joseph to go capture the Kyuubi, make sure nobody traces it back to us one way or another.'

Once again that member left Danzo's sight, but this time he wasn't alone.

'Sir, I couldn't help but hear you're going after the Kyuubi.' The deep voice behind him warranted not a glance, Danzo knew who it was. 'I can't help but feel… neglected, I do wish to go after him as well. After all, his spirit has always interested me. The destruction it caused, the terror in people's hearts.' He sounded ecstatic at the very thought.

Danzo sighed, an uncommon occurrence. 'I'm sure you would go no matter what the cost. You have my permission, but remember, bring him back ALIVE Deimos.'

A chuckle. 'Oh, don't you worry. I'll let him live, he'll probably be more fun then even Itachi!'

Finally, Danzo was truly alone. And so he began further plotting and scheming, what to do after in case of success, or failure.

It never hurt to be prepared, and it was for the good of the village.


	5. Prey and Predator

'Alright people, we're going to have to move fast and carefully.'

Shikamaru only said such a thing because Naruto was with them, the rest knew the score well. Anko had last sent a message from a town close to The Land of Waves. Contact her, assist in finding Kabuto, and force him to make some sort of cure. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, as sick as he was, Naruto wasn't having them slow down for him. It was difficult to tell he was sick, really, until he simply fainted, skidding to a halt. Without missing a beat, Lee swooped in to pick him up.

'You must hang in there, Naruto!'

'I'll be… Fine, bushy brows. Just need a little break…' Naruto muttered, squirming in Lee's grasp.

'Then I shall carry you!'

'We're about an hour from where we should stop for the night, a small town that should have a place to stay.' Shikamaru glanced over at Lee and Naruto. 'Think you can hold onto him until then?'

'If I do not, I shall do a thousand laps around the town!' With a burst of speed Lee was now leading the group. Trailing behind was Hinata, who was steadily catching up.

'…What a drag.' With those three rushing ahead, it had left quite a gap between the group. An exploitable one, if they were being hunted.

Not that an attack was likely. Only Shizune knew about this mission from outside the group, and this route wasn't known for bandits or rogue ninja, at least not until they got a fair bit closer to their destination.

Still, he felt a little uneasy. Signalling Tenten and Chouji, who had stuck with him, they tried to catch up. 'Hey, Hinata!' He shouted. 'Scan the area every fifteen minutes or so, would you?'

Pausing, Hinata turned to nod her head. she placed her hand in front of her face. 'Byakugan!' Veins bulged and pupils usually invisible in the Hyuuga's eyes became visible.

Shikamaru stopped beside her. 'Anything?'

A subtle tweak of the head, the blind spot was covered. 'N-not as far as I can see. Just some local wildlife.'

'Well… that's good.' He still felt uneasy, but there wasn't much else that could be done. 'We better hurry now if we want to catch up with Lee.'

Tenten nodded, followed by Chouji and finally Hinata as she deactivated the Byakugan. With that, they continued moving.

'They seem fairly incompetent at covering their tracks.'

Three members of Root leapt from tree to tree. The one out front, face concealed by an owl mask and moving mechanically from tree to tree, was the one who spoke. Every so often glancing at the ground, the subtly disturbed earth with faint marks of human feet.

'Doubt they're expecting to be followed just yet, and they're on a timer Nairu.' A gruff voice spoke up from the back of the group. The man was elderly, if their greying hair was anything to go by. His muscles, slim but taught, moved in a manner both similar yet distinct to Nairu ahead. Where one moved with what he had been taught was the most efficient manner, the other moved in the way experience had taught him.

'Still, if they're going to make tracks, it's protocol to cover them. They're visible from up here'

'Aahh, chill out man.'

Nairu glanced back at the centre member of their party. Similar to one of his previous allies, he wore a monkey mask. With his thin physique with just a hint of fat and not much else, it was a wonder he was keeping up.

Easy enough to underestimate, but Nairu had read his file. Of course, it didn't stop him from being… grating.

'I point it out, because, while they may be our targets, they are still members of the Leaf. They should know better.'

'You trying to talk back to the captain? Monkey-mask laughed, slapping his own face with an open hand. 'Thought you knew better.'

'Just because Danzo ordered you to assemble us, Reiki, does not make you the leader of this mission. Indeed, I imagine Joseph was picked for this mission to lead.'

'Thank you, Nairu.' Wolf-Mask (Joseph) replied.

'How about we vote, right Str…' Monkey-Mask Reiki turned his head back. 'Hey, where's Strin?'

'I ordered him to fall back to make sure we're not being followed about an hour ago.' With that, Joseph burst forward overtaking Reiki in a blur of motion.

'Oh… Damn you old man!' With a huff Reiki began to accelerate.

'Stop, you're going too fast.' Nairu's voice only slightly elevated from the norm, just enough to ensure he was heard.

'What, can't keep up?' Reiki laughed, leaping to the next tree branch hands-first.

'We have to keep our distance. Especially since one of them has the Byakugan.'

'Oh… right. What's the range on that?' Reiki paused on a treebranch.

Nairu leapt right next to him. 'From what we've been able to determine, it varies from person to person. The Hyuuga aren't forthcoming about many aspects of their dojutsu, so it's hard to determine. Eight kilometres is the estimation, we should be roughly eleven away from them at the moment.

'Paranoid nutjobs.' Reiki muttered. Then, he smiled. 'Hey, what do you think about a bonus if we nab the Hyuuga with them as well? A Byakugan to experiment with would probably get us a pat on the back.'

'That is not our objective.' Leaping side to side, Nairu still didn't meet Reiki's gaze.

'No, but it is the kind of thing our boss would find extremely useful.' Joseph glanced back, and slowed. Once again, all three found themselves neck and neck.

'That is not our objective.' Nairu repeated. 'If they desired us to obtain the Byakugan from this mission, they would have told us.'

'I'm just thinking if we're in a position to pin both the Byakugan user and the Jinchuriki's disappearance on freak circumstance, another village, or hell eloping, we should take it.'

'Highly unlikely, which is the most probably reason he didn't ask us to do that. Attempting to capture both will most likely lead to problems.'

Joseph sighed. 'I thought I was the leader of this mission?'

'Then consider it highly recommended advice. Or perhaps I was wrong when I assumed you had been picked to be leader. It was not mentioned who was, after all. You were just the logical assumption considering the alternatives.'

And here he was thinking he had been complimented by Nairu of all people. 'Noted.'


	6. Delay

The town had several names. From the vast diversity of buildings and people, Shikamaru hazarded a guess that the town had traded hands multiple times in its past.

He would have liked to know a bit more, but they had been in a hurry and he had only been able to skim the already limited information given. About all he knew was that the town had been deemed "safe" to stay for a night and he had the currency to accomplish that task, with a small amount left over for food.

Shikamaru glanced over at Chouji, currently munching on a snack of chips he had brought along for the mission. Hopefully he would understand their limited currency.

Naruto was walking with them, glad to be off Rock Lee's back. After a stumble, he took a packet out of his pocket and took a pill out of it, popping it into his mouth.

The medicine in his hand seemed to be the only thing that could fight whatever the poison was. It was the reason they had risked leaving without a medic-nin. Chakra-based healing seemed to have little effect anyway.

Still, it was a losing battle. The medicine wasn't curing it, granting a temporary reprieve at best.

After a couple more minutes of searching they found a place to stay. Shikamaru beckoned them to a small alleyway next to the compound, Lee and Naruto already headed to get their room and give Naruto some well-earned relaxation. 'Hinata, scan the area.'

'Byakugan!' The familiar veins bulged.

Tenten and Chouji stood behind her, blocking vision of the odd curious look in the alleyway. Even if the town had been deemed "safe", there was no need for undue attention obtained from a dojutsu.

'Town seems fairly normal.' Hinata hesitated as she spoke. 'I don't think we're being watched. Three groups of people seem to be heading here roughly five kilometres out, another group seems to have stopped about eight and a half kilometres away…' She frowned. 'They're most likely ninja, they're wearing animal masks similar to Anbu. No forehead protectors. Two others nine kilometres out in same style, either moving to meet up or ambush the other group.

Dammit. Were they being followed? Shikamaru groaned. It was possibly just a coincidence. But knowing his luck…

Well, what could they do? Perhaps try moving to the next town. Hoping that if the guys were after them, they were planning on attacking them later in the night. Or perhaps set some sort of trap.

He didn't really want to keep dragging Naruto forward at the moment, Lee's back was only be slightly less exhausting then running.

Nodding at Hinata, who deactivated the Byakugan with a sight, he beckoned Tenten and Chouji. 'We might have company later tonight guys, we need a plan.'

'And you're asking us?' Chouji frowned. 'Or are you just making small talk while you think of one?'

Shikamaru had already faded out of the conversation.

* * *

'Why did you order Strin to leave?' it never took long for Reiki to start complaining.

The moon in the sky, the call of the oddball bird a little early for dawn. Reiki, Nairu, and Joseph stuck together as a group. Deimos, meanwhile, seemed content keeping some distance at the back. His fanged bat mask, scarred and burnt, completely at odds with the more well-kept masks of the rest of them.

'We won't need him, and I'd rather he wasn't seen with us unless absolutely necessary. Besides, he isn't "gone", if a straggler escapes the village, Strin will be there to catch them.'

'You trust that guy?'

'I trust our lord, and he trusts that man to complete the current task.'

They moved with swift silence. Opening the hotel door without as much as a creak. Peeking at the registration, Joseph quickly began deducing. '_Alright, there is six of them, most likely they split up to avoid looking like a suspiciously large group.'_ Three trios of individuals were on the list, as well as seven doubles and four singles. _'No easy way to determine via that, names perhaps.' _A name in one of the groups of two caught his eye. An alias he was familiar with being used in the Leaf Village. Most likely the trio in the room next to it and the single person next to that were the individuals in question. Still, to be safe, they should first enter the room with the known Leaf individuals.

A couple of subtle handsigns later to his allies and they were on the move again. Up the stairs, to the door. Locked, but hardly a good quality lock and simple enough to pick.

And they were in.

A large room, two beds. A bathroom to the side.

* * *

Currently resting in the beds were Shikamaru and Naruto. Perfect.

Or so he thought for a precious second.

'Clones' A faint whisper from Nairu.

'You sure?' Somewhat louder, Joseph felt the urge to strangle Reiki for asking that. It _was_ the kind of thing Nairu would pick up on. A basic clone was a simple enough technique, but in truth only a few masters could make a completely indistinguishable clone. There tended to be a few subtle tells, such as reflectiveness and textures.

'Yeah, escape pattern three.' They all swiftly retreated back the way they came, before making their way to the top of the building.

A nod towards Reiki, and he knew what to do. Making a few handsigns, the air shimmered in a dome around them. A noise muffler, in case their targets were close enough to listen.

'Alright, either they knew we were coming or they anticipated being followed.'

'It is doubtful they anticipated being followed, considering their lacking attempt to conceal their trail. Unless it was on purpose in an attempt to get followers into a trap.' Nairu's gaze swept through the town, as if trying to spot their targets.

'Possible, but doesn't seem like a strategy that fits any of their profile, not to mention their priority is locating an individual capable of healing their sick friend and the Hokage. Every second they waste decreases their chance of survival.'

'Hardly matters how, does it?' Reiki flailed his arms. 'We should try and catch up with them.'

'Strin hasn't given us the signal that he has spotted them.' Joseph glanced to the sky in Strin's direction.'

'Ambushed, maybe?'

'None of them have exceptional stealth skills, I find it nigh impossible to believe they could silence him before he let off a signal.'

'And, of course, you trust him.' Reiki chuckled, stretching his arms out.

Joseph didn't bother correcting him again. 'I will admit it is possible they took a different route then we anticipated, but it is also a probability that they're still concealed in this town. Perhaps even in this hotel still. But we will have to be more careful.'

'It is, as you admit, still possible that they have escaped.' Nairu interjected. 'Perhaps it would be best if I circle the town and see any escape points they may have done and signal you if it is so.'

'I don't want us split up too much. There is at least five battle ready opponents guarding our target, and while I do not doubt our capacity to take on any of them in a one-on-one fight, they are enough of a threat that I'd like to avoid greater odds against us if at all possible.' As Joseph finished speaking he glanced over to Deimos, subtle shifts in the mask suggested a smirk coming from him.

'True, I estimate myself having a twenty percent chance of victory against all of them working together.' Nairu conceded. 'and roughly sixty percent if I bring a single ally. Not optimal odds.

'I have a suggestion.' Deimos tilted his head, bemused. 'I have a jutsu that is quite effective at scanning an area.'

'_And you're saying this now?' _Joseph nodded. 'Use it then, unless there are risks?'

'None we need worry about.' Deimos was already making handsigns. 'Although a warning, try to remain calm for the next several seconds.'

Joseph raised an eyebrow. 'What-'


	7. Thrill

'They didn't enter the building and trigger the trap.' Hinata deactivated her Byakugan, closed her eyes and laid a hand on her forehead, lips quivering.

'What a drag.' Shikamaru sighed. All that effort to set up some drugged senbons to go off when they entered the room wasted. He'd been forced to steal most of the ingredients to maintain the precious little cash they had.

Still, they had time. They were currently on the opposite end of town, a recently vacated apartment building where dust made outlines of couches, refrigerators, and a few assorted tables and chairs. On the fifth story, the building had a decent view of the town. Why be close to their stalkers when they had the Byakugan on their side?

Still, they should probably flee, or find a method to make them think they had gone.

And it had to be quick. Shikamaru glanced over at Naruto, currently lying on a wall. Asleep, or unconscious.

If he had been awake, he would probably encourage them to stop running and fight. Certainly as foolhardy the idea was, it had merits. Still, Shikamaru didn't want a direct confrontation until either there was no other way, or he believed they could take down their pursuers with no fuss. The latter was a childish fantasy; the former looked to become a grim reality.

Still, there was still a chance to escape, all they had to do was-

'_It's your fault.'_

Shikamaru froze. Asuma, Asuma was right in front of him. Burned, bleeding, battered, but alive, eyes clouded over yet still managing to stare at him.

'_You're not fit to lead, the people around you suffer for your mistakes.'_

This wasn't right, this was… was…

A genjutsu.

Making a handsign, Shikamaru roared 'KAI!'

The illusion took another step forward, before fading into an inky blackness, then nothing.

Not long after Shikamaru recovered, the others began to follow suit dispelling the genjutsu. 'Hinata, can you tell where the genjutsu came from?'

'Byakugan!' a quick response. 'One of the guys after us is at the epicentre of a small chakra surge. We weren't the only ones affected. I can see several people who were sleeping before awake, sweat on their foreheads.'

So it hadn't been targeted directly at them. So, what was the point of it? Had they expected a genjutsu spread so thinly throughout the town to incapacitate them?

'They're headed this way.' Hinata deactivated her byakugan.

Had the Genjutsu somehow pinpointed their location? Shikamaru wasn't familiar with any genjutsu with such a capability. Still, while it did indeed matter _how_ they had been located, priority was to escape.

'Lee, grab Naruto, we're moving.'

* * *

'The _hell _was that technique?' Still pale-faced, Reiki lagged slightly behind, a longer delay in his leaps from rooftop to rooftop, judging if he could make distances he had done thousands of times before.

'A large-scale demoralization genjutsu. Although to be more effective I'd need to input additional chakra, most likely from assistants.' Deimos let out a "hmph" of amusement. 'But I've found with a bit of concentration, it can work as a sensor technique, as I see brief glimpses of the fears of everyone in range. From there, I just need to determine one belonging to our dear targets. It's quite easy to pinpoint individuals, once you get the hang of it.'

'So, it works as an inefficient sensor technique that is not one hundred percent accurate and alerts the target, or a genjutsu that requires an impractical amount of chakra to use for little gain.' Nairu didn't even look at Deimos currently right next to him.

'Oh dear Nairu, such little faith you have in my techniques.' A big, toothy grin pointed in Nairu's direction. 'You should wait for the finished products to judge.'

'Using an unfinished technique during an important mission is still an unwise move.'

'Spoken like a true Root member from birth, devoid of any spark of creativity.' The grin stuck to his face as he chuckled and shook his head. 'I find testing my kind of jutsu in the heat of the moment is the only way to effectively determine strengths and weaknesses.' The grin faded swiftly as Deimos frowned. 'You're just starting to become needlessly antagonistic Nairu, delaying us. You don't want to waste time, do you? That's inef-'

'Understood, now are you prepared? They have most likely retreated already, so most likely you will have to use the technique again.'

'Of course, of course. Shall we alert Strin?'

'No' Joseph cut in. 'He's right where we want him, at their most likely escape route prepared to capture or kill any stragglers who attempt to escape. The four of us should be enough to take them on with little difficulty.

Nairu nodded, Deimos rolled his eyes. 'Still not trusting dear Strin are we?'

'That has nothing to do with my decision, and you know that.' Joseph curled a hand into a fist, but opened it as if stung; he glanced down at his hand. Four fingers, including his thumb. His ring finger was nothing but a slight growth, worthless. 'Now who's being needlessly antagonistic?' Joseph crossed his arms. 'Although on an unrelated note. I do not think you were honest about the risks.' Joseph nodded towards a window on a nearby building, a light that wasn't there before shining out of the crack in the blinds. 'It was indiscriminate, and you've woken up quite a few civilians as well. Possibly even one or two ninja, this town is suspected of harbouring some Missing-Nin.'

'If I recall, the suspected ninja are simply ones who wished to retire early. I doubt they want to get dragged into conflict if they can avoid it.' Deimos turned his head, scanning the town for life.

'And if they view your genjutsu as an act of aggression?'

'Alright, alright, you have a point.' For a brief moment, Deimos raised his arms in mock surrender before shifting them back to a more aerodynamic position. 'I'll better explain my actions next time. In grave detail, if you so desire.'

Silence, save for the chirping of crickets.

Joseph motioned for them to stop. They were a building away from their target's last known location, a building a couple of stories larger than the one they resided on. 'Alright Deimos, check again.'

'Next time I shall request a dedicated sensor to be on a hunting team I am assigned to.' Nairu probably would, but it was more likely a thinly veiled insult than something said with any belief of it coming into fruition.

Still, the words gave Joseph pause, he glanced over, scanning for signs of frustration or other emotions that would cause even that small outburst. Nothing, he still remained in his "default" stationary position, ready to spring into action. His mask hadn't twisted into a different position, suggesting his face was similarly unchanged.

'Oh, wish for them to fall in our laps tied up and ready to give to our master while you're at it.' Deimos grinned as he began making handsigns.

Deimos and Nairu had been assigned to the same mission only once before, several years ago. It was becoming more and more apparent why that was so. Joseph grunted as he prepared his mind for the mental assault

With the entire team better prepared, they managed to dispel the genjutsu from themselves almost instantly.

'They're on the move, exiting at a fast pace. Can't be good for the sick child.' He tilted his head towards Joseph. 'But more importantly, it appears they're headed on the predicted path, Strin should be able to intercept and slow them down long enough for us to catch up.'

'Well then, let's not keep him waiting.'

'Indeed, he might have some trouble…'


	8. Contact

They were closing in fast, but thanks to Hinata's Byakugan they had a precious minute to prepare. Three individuals, closing in fast. A fourth following up. They had been detected, running wasn't an option, they were faster. Hiding was a temporary fix at best. They needed to ambush them, hard and fast so by the time their fourth ally reached here, they had already incapacitated the other three.

It would be easier said than done, but they were as ready as they could be. Shikamaru waiting in the shadows of a large tree, slightly above eye level. Chouji was the bait, a basic clone looking prepared to ambush in a more obvious position while he was concealed henged as a branch close by, although enough distance to most likely avoid any widespread jutsu techniques they may cast from a distance. Lee was on the opposite side of Shikamaru from Chouji. Tenten was further above still, ready to rain weapons down on the opposition. Hinata was a short distance away from Shikamaru, holding onto Naruto and keeping Shikamaru updated on the opposition's whereabouts'

It was quiet, not even birds chirping.

And then, the first of the three struck. In a burst of movement they exited the trees, a flash of steel and the clone was decapitated, the figure was moving away even before the clone vanished in a puff of smoke, there went the Chouji ambush. Perhaps he anticipated it being too easy.

Still, there was plan B. TenTen let loose a barrage of weapons, for a brief moment the assailant moved slow enough for Shikamaru to glimpse their weapon, a short one-handed scythe red in colour for each hand, before he was off again, a blur of motion as he dodged, weaved, and deflected the projectiles

Shikamaru was preparing to possess the man's shadow to render him helpless against the barrage when Tenten made it unnecessary, the spiked ball among the weapons crashed into him with enough force to knock him off the branch, in his brief time stunned senbon dug into flesh and kunai scraped past, but even as he fell he kept attempting to block the projectiles, with a good but imperfect degree of success.

And then, a slice.

Shikamaru glanced next to himself; Hinata had sliced a nearby branch through, a subtle sound meant to warn TenTen of approaching danger.

The barrage of projectiles ended, Tenten had gotten out nunchucks and narrowly dodged a blast of fire, nearby on a slightly lower branch was a puppet of some sort, large and shaped like a massive bird, Shikamaru couldn't see the chakra thread from this distance, but Chouji had already broken out of his henge to assist against the puppeteer opponent.

That just left the third, Shikamaru held up three fingers towards Hinata, who quietly activated her Byakugan again. 'They're hanging back, I think making handsigns.'

Maybe a long-ranged specialist. They best put a stop to them.

'I'll take Naruto, you take Lee and stop them.'

Hinata gingerly handed Naruto to Shikamaru before dashing off.

Shikamaru looked back at the fight with Tenten, Chouji, and the Puppet ninja, unfortunately they had gone too far through the thick treeline for him to be able to see them.

Well, he could put Naruto down and join a team, but was that wise? On one hand, another team of foes was most likely arriving shortly and it wouldn't be wise to leave Naruto unguarded. On the other hand, the sooner they eliminated this opposition, the swifter they could move on.

Shikamaru carefully laid Naruto down, as he was about to leave he heard steps. _'Footsteps? Where are they-' _He looked down.

The familiar weapons and the rather ragged appearance made it clear the man currently running up the tree was the man he thought Tenten had knocked out of the fight. He was certainly slower, one of his arms appeared stiff, perhaps paralysed, but the look on his face was murderous.

But as he got a little closer, only one image filled his mind.

The man had a hidden sound forehead protector, but his true allegiance was the necklace, one he had seen on the man who killed his sensei.

This man was a Jashinist. If he was anything like Hidan it was no wonder he wasn't dead.

Still, no harm in trying.

He threw an explosive tag, angled low at the man's feet. The man narrowly sidestepped it, but the explosion sent splinters flying some finding their way into flesh. A stumble, a short distraction caused the flow of chakra to his feet to falter, he fell a short distance before stabbing one of his scythes into the tree for the brief moment he needed to get his feet back on bark.

Shikamaru's shadow was already lengthening to catch the target as he got back on his feet. The man charged forward right into it, freezing as the shadow connected.

'_Gotcha'_ Shikamaru smirked.

And then, the man fell, Shikamaru's smile faded. The man had somehow retained enough control to cut off the chakra flow to his feet, now he was falling. With a sigh, he retracted his shadow, watching the man finally dig his weapon into the tree once more.

He should head to the ground, his opponent hadn't shown any range capabilities, and once he possessed the opponent's shadow there he would have much greater control. Of course, he had lost the element of surprise, but-

Speaking of surprise, he had almost forgotten an additional ninja was on their way, and they introduced themselves with a leaping kick that struck the Jashinist square in the chest with great force, enough Shikamaru suspected to shatter ribs on most ninja.

As it was, the Jashinist he let out a roar of pain as he was pushed back, and swung his scythe at the new foe, who swiftly retreated back onto the tree as the Jashinist fell.

Shikamaru frowned as he got a better look at the newcomer. The strangest thing about them was probably the blindfold, silky purple and slightly… off

It was no ordinary blindfold, he could tell almost instinctively.

Also important to note was the headband. The familiar musical note of the sound village. They may have attacked the Jashinist, but the enemy of his enemy was not his friend. Maybe they were a Leaf agent undercover from the Sound Village to help, but more likely after the death of Orochimaru the Sound Village had split into factions of some sort and he was caught in the middle of a quarrel. It was best to let them fight, or at least make the first move, while he recovered. He remained still, not making a sound. If the man lacked sight, he probably used another sense to detect his foe.

The blindfolded man glanced in his direction, right at him. _'Damn, maybe I froze too late.'_ Should he attack now? Or wait until the man made the first move?

The thought was interrupted as a red lance of… _something _shot out towards the blindfolded man, the Jashinist had fired off a jutsu of some sort. He managed to dodge mostly out of the way, the red lance merely grazing his arm.

But if the Jashinist was anything like Hidan, one cut was all it took.

Perhaps the blindfolded figure knew, for he went on the offensive once more. Rushing down the tree to meet the Jashinist head-on in melee combat.

Making his way to a branch so he wouldn't have to consume chakra to remain upright, Shikamaru watched.

It was clear they were both quite skilled in Taijutsu. Or to be more accurate, it wasn't clear at all. They were each a blur of motion, and from this distance he couldn't particularly tell anything about their combat style, although Shikamaru imagined only having one properly working arm would put the Jashinist at a disadvantage

Droplets of blood sprinkled out of the combat, possibly from the blindfolded man's wound, or possibly another had been made on one of the fighters. They went round and round as they attacked each other, keeping in close quarters. Perhaps he should get involved, maybe if-

Once upon a time, ninjas had been primarily focused on stealth. But as their numbers and abilities grew, they began to learn at a young age how to tell someone with evil intent was coming for you, all five senses and a sixth sense swiftly became attuned to detecting such threats. The capacity to detect a concealed foe began to far outstrip the capacity to conceal oneself. Few ninjas in the modern day were capable of being truly "stealthy"

So it was with great surprise in mid-thought Shikamaru felt something sharp jab into his back. Almost instantly, his body began to feel heavy, and as he forced himself to turn around to see his assailant, it failed completely.


	9. Time

_Orochimaru was acting rather impatient now, it was strange._

_Oh, he did have his moments of impatience, he hadn't quite quashed that aspect of humanity from himself yet, but this was difference. Where usually his displeasure was voiced by reading one of the many scrolls he had on some obscure jutsu he hoped to take advantage of some day, now he seemed to be hovering around Kabuto, hissing in his ear, asking why things were going so long, and… Other questions. Strange, personal questions. Questions he had once asked a long time ago._

_It was, Kabuto was fine to admit to himself, somewhat disturbing, and it had all started when they had to double back for a component in a later plan._

_Kabuto found himself mimicking his lord's actions, although in his case he was reading some old notes on experimentation while he waited for results. Aahh yes, Kaguya, he remembered that bloodline well. A pity his subject had been the last of them, it was preferable to have more expendable subjects. As it was, the little experiments he did to improve or transfer the bloodline had ended up with corpses and a deathly ill subject._

_He turned the page. Aahh yes, Strin. Orochimaru had thought they were onto something with him, but it never came to fruition._

_That being said, the tests on him did at least lead to an interesting theory._

_And, of course, Jugo-_

'_Kabuto.' Strange, he did not hear Orochimaru come in. 'Any news on our little stalker friends?'_

'_They found the seal that we left in our previous hideout to detect them, unfortunately. Most likely they have someone with them who can trace the link, even after I severed the connection. I estimate they shall be here in a day or so, enough time to pack up most of our belongings and leave.'_

'_No, no, that shall not be necessary. A day should be long enough, should it not?'_

_Kabuto pursed his lips. 'Technically yes, but that will leave some of it to chance.'_

'_Hardly, I am certain it will all go well, and even if it does not, I have contingencies in place. You should prepare a little more for our guests.'_

_A beat, Kabuto smirked. 'You're right as always, Lord Orochimaru.' He snapped the scroll shut._

* * *

The strategy against puppeteers was usually simple enough. Find and take out the puppeteer, while keeping the puppets at bay, or if there was the perfect chance, take out the puppets themselves before moving in on the puppeteer.

Option B was difficult; the bird puppet was surprisingly resilient considering it had to be light enough to fly, unless the puppeteer had a massive reserve of chakra to support it. A few kunai and shuriken's from Tenten had merely glanced off. One of Tenten's larger projectiles could probably take it down. But it was wisely keeping its distance. Too far to be hit easily, but close enough to pepper them with attacks, it was a nuisance, a potentially lethal distraction.

But it wasn't the only puppet. If it were, the flying puppet would be more aggressive. The question was, where was the second puppet going to stri-

It appeared surprisingly close, whatever it was made of blended into the environment, a small humanoid puppet with blades jutting out of its fingers and chest. She leapt away, narrowly dodging the lunge, and as the puppet turned its face towards her, it was crushed as Chouji's enlarged fist struck from behind.

Tenten opened another scroll; a large metal ball was thrown out at an angle towards Chouji to block the retaliatory fire from the flying puppet. Shw quickly glanced at what was left of the puppet Chouji had destroyed; the threads were either concealed in some manner or had faded when the puppet had been destroyed.

This was going to be harder then she thought, they should have brought Hinata with them.

A cry, Tenten looked over at Chouji. She could faintly make out a chain of some sort right next to his head. Following it lead her to another puppet a fair distance away.

Chouji grabbed the chain and yanked it The puppet went soaring towards him. Once again, Chouji enlarged his fist. The puppet's arm pointed out at a nearby tree, and the hand launched itself, connected to a chain.

Oh, so that's where the last chain had come from.

The hand attached itself to the tree and began to retract. Undeterred. Chouji pulled harder with the expanded arm.

The hand tore a chunk of bark with it as once again the puppet was dragged towards Chouji, and with a punch shattered, and…

What the, liquid exploded out of the puppet as well. Chouji's fist was covered and droplets splashed onto his head and clothes.

What was the stuff? Flammable? Poison? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good news.

To make matters worse, she could already see two more puppets advancing, one humanoid and one four-legged puppet shaped like a canine.

She swiftly advanced towards them, not to confront, but the strings, where were the strings!?

The dog-shaped one lunged towards her while the other continued advancing on Chouji, who seemed to be waiting for it to come to him.

She dodged the dog narrowly, strings, she could see them, rather dull compared to the ones used by Kankuro. They were long, very long, she could trace them twining around a tree and going up

And then she had to turn away to block the puppet's mouth from attaching itself to flesh with her nunchucks. It was clear the teeth were poisoned, they were dripping with a clear liquid.

Swinging around the other nunchuck, she struck the puppet. No use, whatever it was made of was tough enough to resist it.

She turned as the dog's claws raked at where she had been, letting go of the nunchucks so the puppet passed her. Taking advantage of the distraction, she dashed towards the tree where she had seen the strings heading towards. She glanced back to see the dog in hot pursuit. She glanced back to the target. The strings went up the tree, up, up, up

Above the tree? Oh, that BASTARD.

She glanced to the flying puppet, it seemed to be distracted with Chouji right now, from this distance it was hard to tell, but was Chouji bleeding?

The dog was hot on her heals, she threw a few kunai that deflected off it's hide. It lunged once more as she drew another scroll, a staff was quickly summoned that she used to bat the dog puppet away. It fell, hopefully giving her the few seconds she needed. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, it was already digging claws into bark, lunging and…

A burst of razor-sharp wind sliced mere inches from where Tenten was, the puppet dog was not so lucky, nor was another puppet with similar, if more powerful, stealth capabilities to the last one that had apparently been preparing to strike her from an angle. Both were shredded, and as she gave a swift glance it became apparent it had also taken a swath of the forest with it. The clear line of sight made it clear that the perpetrator was a fair distance away, no sign of them from here however.

She looked to the target, the real one. Even as she dodged sections of hurtling tree trunk, she carefully selected her final scroll, she managed to get to the top of the tree and leap. She unwound the scroll and summoned it.

A massive spiked ball materialized, connected to strings she quickly took hold of, she let out a call, praying that Chouji knew what she was planning and that he had the strength to follow through. Otherwise, this was going to end poorly,

She saw Chouji, bloody, battered, but alive. He performed a full expansion jutsu, the branch snapped under the weight and the puppet he had been fighting fell. He reached out, grabbed the strings with one hand and a tight grip on the tree with the other, swung around ball in hand, and hurled it at the flying puppet.

She didn't see what happened, but there was a burst of shrapnel and blood as the ball hit its target.

Celebration would have to wait; however, as she swooped in to catch Chouji, thankfully his expansion jutsu had worn off automatically as it seemed he had used the last of his strength. 'Poison?'

'Sure feels that way.' Chouji groaned. 'Must be capable of getting through skin.'

Not good, not good at all. Still, she tried to keep a cheerful face. 'Nice catch, by the way, sorry for not giving much of a heads-up.'

He laughed, although a jolt of pain cut it short. 'Good job F-figuring out he was in the flying puppet.'

'I just wish I had figured it out sooner. Pity the puppet's in pieces, I'm no expert but I'd like to know a little about how it worked.' She talked a little too fast for the nonchalant nature of her voice to be genuine.

'Y-yeah. You should probably go help the others.'

'What, and leave you behind? Someone's gotta take care of you.'

'You any good at getting rid of poisons?'

Tenten bit her upper lip. 'Well, no, but-'

'Sooner we get rid of these guys the better.'

She wasn't abandoning him, not really, but she was certainly risking his life. Still, the greater risk was clear. Tenten sighed. 'Alright Chouji, but you better be here when I get back!' As he turned around and jumped away she turned back to shout 'I'll bring you back something to eat!'

Chouji chuckled as he lay on the branch, glancing over the shredded trees before turning back to the sky with a sigh. 'I know she was kidding, but I do hope she finds some food.'

His stomach growled, while he hadn't taken the pills in that fight, he had still burned up a large amount of calories. It was never a pleasant sensation. Unfortunately, he had lost the bag of chips somewhere in the fight, an all too close strike.

That's what he got for being careless, he supposed.


End file.
